Charli XCX announces ‘Brat Summer’ is officially over, and we don’t know what to do with ourselves
“Brat Summer” is over, according to Charli XCX. (Getty/Charli XCX/ Atlantic Records)
Tear down your posters and mute your Spotify. “Brat Summer” has officially had its moment and is no more, according to Charli XCX herself.
The trend all started when the British pop star took over our Spotify algorithms with her critically acclaimed album Brat. The album, which references pop culture icon Julia Fox, sparked the movement in its honour.
According to Charli, the album embodies someone who has a “pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra”.
In a TikTok video, the singer deduced that the meaning of Brat is: “That girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown.
“But kind of like parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like does dumb things. But it’s Brat. You’re Brat. That’s Brat.”
In short, “Brat Summer” was all about freeing yourself of your inhibitions, partying hard, and regretting later.
But after three months of pure, reckless abandon and countless memes in the name of “Brat Summer”, the queen herself has announced it’s well and truly over.
“Goodbye forever brat summer,” the star wrote on her social media platforms, with a carousel of hilarious and adorable TikToks to her songs from the album.
The neon-green, low-resolution font aesthetic was adopted by fashion brands Skims and H&M, while Kamala Harris has even used Brat theming in her presidential campaign.
The Brat track “Apple” even became its own TikTok dance trend, which the likes of Bella Hadid, Kim Kardashian and North West, and the Team GB Olympic diving team even took part in.
Although Labor Day weekend is considered the end of summer and the start of autumn in the US, summer technically wraps up at the end of August for those in the Northern Hemisphere.
As one of her followers rightly noted, “Wait until she finds out [the] southern hemisphere exists”. For those located in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps “Brat Summer” will be making a resurgence during December, January and February.
While we work out what to do with ourselves, you’ll find us preparing for “Demure Autumn.”
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